Have you ever bought a bedroom suite for only $105?

In this post I will be discussing one of my favorite items to view and purchase at various venues, furniture! Whenever I attend an auction, flea market, thrift shop, or garage sale I always find myself most interested in scooping out the furniture selection though I am not in need of any. I love purchasing furniture at the venues listed above and there are several reasons why.

I enjoy finding all different kinds of furniture, pieces made from glass, metal, or wood are always present. I find furniture pieces from different time periods very interesting and though I have my favorites, I enjoy viewing them all. If you walk into a furniture store today will be surrounded by couches, beds, tables, chairs, and much more with the latest designs, fabrics, and patterns. Though I like these up to date items as well, I enjoy viewing previously owned furniture at auctions because many items are rare, unique, and have a story behind them.

Now speaking of retail furniture stores, yes of course you can find the latest styles, brands, financing, and delivery, however if you don’t mind a nice clean previously owned furniture piece you may find it far more economical. For example, my brother and sister-in-law have been searching for a nice large dresser for their master bedroom for about the past 6 months. They already had a beautiful bed purchased at Nebraska Furniture Mart for approximately $1000.00. This past weekend they attended an auction where they bought a beautiful large solid wood dresser with attached mirror for only $35.00. But they didn’t stop there, they went ahead and purchased the whole set, which included the dresser, full size bed, and armoire all with a decorative matching design. They paid only $105 for all three pieces! So in conclusion purchasing furniture at an auction can be just as if not far more economical than buying retail.

Now my brother and sister-in-laws fabulous find this past weekend is for a more practical and everyday use. However many purchase antique furniture for its history and ultimately what it’s worth; always remember that when buying pieces worth more money they should be solid wood and absolutely no particle board. In addition other aspects that make a piece worth more value, is if it has the original “pulls,” “lock/key,” and “beveled glass.” In addition unique carved designs or stenciling can also increase the value of wood pieces or a stamping of a company date, logo, or trademark.  

Some tips to remember when purchasing furniture at such venues is that unlike retail stores with delivery options, you will have to haul it home yourself. It’s always best to make sure you can remove the item that day from the sale location, as many auctioneers will not guarantee that it will be there the next day or if they have rented the location it may have to be emptied and totally cleared according to their rental contract. Always be helpful and courteous to others loading furniture, a little help and kindness toward someone else can go a long way. For example, my father and brother always load my furniture items and they also help out others loading too. We always have the favor returned when my mother or I have bought a large heavy item.

In addition furniture prices at auction as well as others previously owned furniture venues have been low over the past couple of years. If you have some extra spending cash it’s a great time to purchase some nice pieces at a fraction of what they were selling for eight years ago or possibly again in the future. Primitive pieces are a very hot item on the market right now, and the great thing about these rustic/distressed pieces that they do not need to be refinished or resurfaced, thus once you have purchased the piece there are no additional costs. I hope you have once again enjoyed and learned something new from my post, however even if you don’t “collect” antique furniture you can still use these tips to help fill your empty apartment or home with nice furnishings for a fraction of the cost!